Ocular Ultrasound to Evaluate Intracranial Pressure Noninvasively

Increased intracranial pressure (ICP) can be difficult to recognize because symptoms such as headache and vomiting are nonspecific, and because available tests are either insensitive (fundoscopy) or highly invasive (lumbar puncture, intracranial pressure monitor). Ultrasound measurement of the optic nerve sheath diameter has been proposed as a test for elevated ICP, but studies have generally been small, and with variable results. These authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine ultrasound's test characteristics for elevated ICP.

Seven studies were identified that compared ultrasound to simultaneous (within 1 hour) invasive ICP measurement (lumbar puncture or intraparenchymal or intraventricular pressure monitoring)…